Security threats could be terminal for your SMB, so stay alert

Security threats could be terminal for small and medium-sized businesses, cybersecurity researchers Kaspersky are saying, urging businesses to stay alert and on top of their cyber-hygiene. 

A report based on a global survey of 1,307 decision-makers in SMBs found cybersecurity incidents are the second-biggest disruptor of operations, second only to a “dramatic” fall in sales. 

What’s more, for 13% of respondents, online attacks are the biggest challenge they’re facing. 

Robust password policy

Kaspersky also set out to find out how important cybersecurity is, in relation to the organization’s size, and it turns out, the bigger the firm, the bigger the woes. While just 8% of businesses with up to eight employees said they faced an IT security problem, the percentage rose to 30% for companies with at least 501 employees. 

“In most cases, adversaries use obvious gaps in an organization’s cybersecurity to gain access to its infrastructure to steal money or data,” commented Konstantin Sapronov, Head of Global Emergency Response Team at Kaspersky.

"This fact suggests that basic protective measures, accessible even to small companies, such as a robust password policy, regular updates and employees’ security awareness, if not overlooked, may significantly contribute to the company’s cyber resistance”.

That being said, Kaspersky recommends businesses implement a strong password policy that requires a standard user account’s password to have at least eight letters, one number, one uppercase letter, and at least one special character. 

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Furthermore, passwords should be changed if there’s reason to believe they might have been compromised. All of this, the company says, is best done with a comprehensive built-in password manager installed on the endpoints. 

Frequent software updates, ransomware protection services, and regular employee training programs are also paramount, Kaspersky claims. In fact, encouraging workers to learn more about how to protect both private and professional lives is a great way to prevent potential disasters. 

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